The Sins Caused the Problem (Bitachon#10)

1:43After Amidah, we read Tehillim number 25. I believe the Sephardim and some other communities both read it. I think so. No? Do some communities not read Tehillim after the Amidah? No, actually, no, some do not. So, the Sephardim read after Melech, we read Tehillim number 25. And it's a very famous Tehillim where David HaMelech says that his soul is being lifted to Hashem because he trusted Him. What did he trust Him in? That He's not going to let him be embarrassed. "And He won't let my enemies rejoice over me." Here, in the first verse of this Tehillim, lies, in essence, the worry that every human being has. We don't necessarily fear loss because of ourselves all the time; we fear loss because of what other people think of us. Losing money is bad enough, but losing status is much worse. I remember one woman told me...

2:57Listen, we have the foreclosure happening. They had a foreclosure, miskenim. Foreclosure happening, scheduled for a certain date. And they were trying to get the money together, but there was a high likelihood they're not going to get the money together. Baruch Hashem, in the end, they ended up getting the money together. But she told me there's something that I'm thinking about right now, and it really fits. She says to me, she says, listen... The money, the house, I lose, I lose. It's from Hashem. What can I do? He wants to take it, take it. I love the house. Lived in the house for so many years. I don't want to lose the house. But if it goes, Baruch Hashem, what can I do? Oh, so I'm thinking, wow, this woman is Ba'alat Emunah. She says, yeah, but here's the thing. What I can't handle is all the neighbors are going to see the sheriff come to the house and lock the door. can't handle that. "I'd rather die," she tells me. The neighbors seeing the sheriff lock the door, put one of those tapes that says "Do Not Enter" or one that says "Caution" or whatever it is. An auction taking place in front of the house? She says for that, I'd rather die. All the neighbors that don't like me, all the neighbors that this, all the neighbors, all this, all that...

4:23The person thinks about the embarrassment that happens to them as a result of loss, such as divorce or other similar situations. It becomes unbearable, and that actually leads many people to consider drastic actions like suicide and engage in a lot of foolish behavior. They are literally more petrified of the shame than they are of the actual loss. This actually means that they have a different problem. This means that they have a different problem. Aside from having a problem with money or whatever the issue is, they also have a problem with kavod, pride. And pride, the Ramban says in his letter that he gave to his son, is the worst middah you can possibly have. Unfortunately, many of us suffer from it because we think that we're something special, whether it's because we're smart, good-looking, rich, or for any other reason. Each of us finds some justification for being proud. Even David HaMelech says that he has trust in Hashem that He won't allow his enemies to rejoice over him. That's the trust I have, even David HaMelech, who referred to himself as a worm and not a man.

5:43I trust that Hashem is not going to bring me to such a point. I trust that He's not going to bring me to a situation where my enemies are going to rejoice over me. But we hope, all of us hope in You, that we should not be embarrassed, that we should not be ashamed, that we should not be mistreated. Teach us Your ways, inform us of Your ways. Lead me into your truth, lead me in your truth, for you are the God of my salvation. For you, I have thought about you all day. All day I'm hoping about, thinking about you, Hashem. Please remember your mercies, Hashem, your kindness, the eternal kindness that you have.

6:45And my sins, but my sins that I did in my past—don't remember those. Don't hold those things against me. Because if You do, no one can withstand these things. So here we see that David HaMelech himself is concerned about all this. But then later on in the same Tehillim, he says, "See my affliction, my toil." Meaning, see all the horrible things that actually ended up happening to me. All the things he was worried about in the beginning. He's not going to be embarrassed in front of his enemies and so on. Look at all those horrible things that are actually happening to me. And if you compare it to my sins, why am I getting punished? I made one sin, and all these horrible things are happening to me. And he says, but what's the difference between us and David HaMelech? Please Hashem, You protected my soul until now, despite all this bad stuff happening to me. Don't let me be ashamed.

8:06Because I take refuge in You. Meaning, even though I was afraid of bad things happening, and they ended up happening, I'm still going to You, because You're the only thing that I have. Why? Because the only thing that preserved me was my innocence and my honesty. I knew where I was wrong, and I knew where I was right. I was connected to You from the beginning, and in You is where I placed my hope. Ki kiviti'cha. So please Hashem, redeem Israel, redeem Am Yisrael from all of its troubles, and Hashem will redeem Am Yisrael from all of its sins. Here we see that even though some of the things David HaMelech worried about actually ended up happening, he knew that he caused it himself. Hashem is right. that's why I still go back to You, and that's why, in the end, he says, "Please, Hashem, redeem Israel from all of its troubles." And you're redeemed from the sins. Why? Because the sins cause the troubles. The sins cause the troubles.

10:07Thank you for your insight into this Torah shiur. Let's delve into the amazing teachings of the Torah and explore the wisdom of our sages.